DuPont to buy Mallinckrodt radiopharmacies

DuPont Pharmaceutical’s Canadian subsidiary, DuPont Pharma, has signed letters of intent to purchase two radiopharmacies owned by Mallinckrodt Canada and located in Pointe-Claire, Quebec, and Mississauga, Ontario. In a separate agreement, DuPont Pharma will gain exclusive distribution rights over the next 10 years for all of Mallinckrodt’s existing nuclear medicine products in Canada.

If finalized, the purchase will expand DuPont’s portfolio to include not only its main product, Cardiolite, which is used for cardiac imaging, but Mallinckrodt’s Octreoscan, for detecting and localizing neuroendocrine tumors; UltraVent, for the diagnosis and localization of gastrointestinal bleeding and cardiac function assessment; and Mag3, for assessment of renal structure and function. The deal is contingent on due diligence review, but DuPont Pharma expects it to be complete by March 1.

Acquiring Mallinckrodt’s radiopharmacies is part of DuPont Pharmaceuticals’ efforts to increase access to nuclear medicine products for physicians and patients across Canada, according to Nicholas Teti, president of the North Billerica, MA-based firm.